Hoarding Secrets
by StBridget
Summary: When Doris shows up to see her grandchild, Steve confronts her. AU Dragon!Danny verse. McDanno established.


Hawaii Five-0 is property of CBS and its creators.

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There's nothing like a grandchild to draw a former CIA agent out of hiding. Steve hadn't seen his mother in years, but he opened the door one morning shortly after Matt's birth to find her on his doorstep. Steve wasn't even sure how she'd heard about Matt. He supposed Joe White must have told her; he hadn't explicitly told Joe about his marriage and the birth of his son, but it wasn't a secret either, and it was highly likely Joe had found out through one of his many sources.

"Mom!" He exclaimed when he opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

Doris McGarrett breezed past Steve into the house. "Is that anyway to greet your mother?"

"Sorry," Steve apologized. "Hi, Mom! Good to see you! What have you been up to?" He said with false cheerfulness.

Doris glared at him. "I came to see my grandchild. Now, where is he?"

"He's upstairs asleep," Steve said without enthusiasm. "I'll get him."

He went upstairs to the nursery, surprised to see Danny sitting in the rocking chair holding Matt. "I thought you were sleeping."

"I was," Danny replied, "but Matt started fussing when the doorbell rang." He looked at Steve appraisingly, sensing his turbulent emotions. "Seems like he's not the only one."

"It's Mom," Steve said. "She wanted to see Matt." He shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know what to do."

Danny sensed hurt, resentment, confusion, and a touch of anger coming off Steve. He laid his hand comfortingly on his husband's arm. "Ssssh, it's okay. Just take down Matt, let her get her grandma fix, and send her on her way."

Steve still looked uneasy. "I don't know what to say to her. I want to confront her, ask her why she kept it from us, from me, but. . ."

Matt was getting restless again, sensing his father's agitation. Danny made soothing noises, and Matt settled down again. Danny had a way with him. He could soothe the infant when no one else could. He could soothe Steve, too. Danny stroked his arm, and Steve felt himself relax.

"Do you want me to come, too?" Danny asked.

Steve took a deep breath. "No, this is something I have to do myself."

"Okay." He gently handed Matt to Steve and leaned up to kiss his partner. "Just don't go off half-cocked. I don't need two upset dragons on my hands." He grinned, trying to lighten the mood, and Steve smiled back half-heartedly.

"Let's do this," Steve said to the bundle in his arms. Checking to make sure Matt was in human form, Steve headed downstairs.

"There's my grandchild," Doris cooed as Steve approached with the baby. She looked at him, taking in his dark hair and blue eyes. "He looks like you."

Steve could tell she wanted to say more, could sense that she wanted to mention the dragon part, felt her weighing her options in her mind, but said nothing. He wasn't going to make this easy for her.

"I heard. . ." she started. "I mean Danny. . ." Half-formed phrases flitted through her mind, the word "dragon" coming loud and clear, but she couldn't seem to voice it.

Steve just stared at her, waiting for her to talk, but she just trailed off. He could tell he was making her uncomfortable with his silence, but he made no move to put her at ease. Steve spoke at last. "He's a dragon," he said bluntly, and watched her reaction. He felt her lack of surprise, and a flash of relief. She didn't think he knew the rest of it, and she was glad.

"I heard," she said. "I imagine that must have been hard to accept, him being a dragon and all." She was testing the waters, trying to find out what he knew. Steve refused to give anything away, locking his thoughts down tight. She may have been a spy, but he was a SEAL. He could play this game as well as she could. Better, if the fact that he could sense her thoughts was any indication.

"Not really," he said flatly. Time to make a move of his own. "It was harder to find out I was a dragon."

Doris tried to hide her surprise. She kept her face blank, but she couldn't help the flash that ran through her mind. Good, she was off her guard.

"What do you mean?" She asked, feigning innocence.

"Cut the crap, Mom," Steve said. "I know you're a dragon. Dad, too. And Mary and I."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she tried. She sounded calm, but Steve could tell that inside she was reeling, not sure how to deal with this unexpected turn of events.

"Yes, you do. What I want to know is why you didn't tell us."

"It was for your own good," Doris said. "You have to understand, there were bad people after me. If they knew I was a dragon, it would have been disastrous."

"You, you, you. It's always about you, isn't it?" Steve said angrily. "What about me? Did you ever think how I'd feel, going through life not knowing who I really was, what I really was?"

"We figured you'd never know. We repressed it, never let you shift. When you hit puberty without shifting, we figured you'd never be any the wiser."

"Well, you were wrong." Steve's voice was tight, controlled, but inside he was seething. Sensing his emotions, Matt began wailing, flailing his arms and legs.

Doris reached for him, his crying awakening her maternal instincts (what few she had, Steve couldn't help thinking bitterly). As soon as she touched, him, though, he turned into a dragon, hissing at her and clawing her arm. "Ouch!" she yelped.

"I don't think he likes you very much," Steve said, struggling to hold onto an armful of squirming dragon. "Can't say that I blame him."

Danny came rushing down the stairs, drawn by the riot of angry emotions from both his husband and his son. "Hey, hey, hey, take it easy," he crooned. Steve wasn't sure whether he was talking to him, or Matt, but Matt stopped struggling at the sound of his voice, and Steve relaxed, both from not needing to keep a strong grip on Matt and the sound of his husband's soothing voice.

Danny gently lifted Matt out of Steve's arms, crooning all the while. Matt settled down and turned back into a human. "There, there, it's okay." He may have been talking to Matt, but Steve calmed further as well.

Danny glared at Doris, who was standing transfixed, staring at the blood oozing from the gash on her arm. She seemed amazed that her own grandson could turn on her like that. Neither Steve nor Danny had much sympathy for her. "I don't know what you did," Danny said, "but I suggest you leave. Now."

Doris tried to defend herself. "I was just trying to meet my grandson."

"You've met him," Danny said, voice low and dangerous. "Now go."

Doris opened her mouth to protest, but one look at Danny and she changed her mind. He clutched Matt protectively to his chest and stood in front of Steve, shielding him, for all the world like a mother bear defending her cubs, or, in this case, a father dragon defending his family. Realizing discretion was the better part of valor, she left.

As soon as the door closed, Steve's shoulders slumped and all the emotions she'd stirred up came pouring out. "How could she?" He demanded. "How could she stand there and tell me it was for my own good? It was never for anybody's good but her own!"

Danny set Matt in the infant swing in the living room and wrapped his arms around his husband, holding him as tight as he could and send waves of calm, soothing love at him. "I know, babe, I know."

"How dare she show up out of the blue, demanding to see her grandson? What did she expect?" He burst into tears. "I hate her, Danny. I hate what she did to me. I hate that she tried to hide it. I hate that she thinks she can just waltz in here and act like everything's alright."

Danny rubbed soothing circles on his back. "It's okay, babe, let it all out, it's okay."

"I hope she never comes back," he sobbed. "She's not my family. I don't have any family left."

"Yes, you do, babe," Danny reassured him. "Take a look around. You have me, and Matt, and Grace. We're your family."

Gradually, Steve's sobs subsided, but he still clung to Danny. "Yes," he said. "You are my family. My _real_ family. My dragon family."

Matt gurgled in agreement.


End file.
